The Suits
by FrozenEden
Summary: An original story taking place in the Victorian Era, a group of assassins kill for the right sum of money. Rating subject to change in the future. Review me please!
1. Hearts

The sound of heels clacking echoed off of the dark, underground, empty cobbled walls. Her black, silky hair swept behind her slender back as she confidently strode down toward a very brightly lit room. She wore a black, sleeveless dress that hugged her upper body and a thin underwired bottom. The black fabric of her dress stopped at her shins, being continued with a clean white fabric all the way to her feet at a slight upward angle. A single, large, black spade decorated the only white area of her dress. She had a white mink cover rested on her shoulders, keeping her warm from the biting winter cold. Her hands were covered with satin black gloves that stopped at her elbows, concealing her porcelain smooth skin. The lady's outfit was finalized with a small, textured, black ornamental top hat that rested at an angle on her neat hair with a thin black veil covering her eyes. The path she walked on led into a room that was large and domed with a warm fireplace on the far-side with two bookshelves place on each side. Comfortable, plush sofas were place around the fire with a wide Victorian style table in the middle. From the room were four other corridors that were too dark to see down. Blue eyes from a tall English man with golden hair looked up in her direction as he closed the book in his hands. He was dressed in a clean white button up with a red sash tied and tucked where a tie would usually be. It was understated by the light gold vest he wore under his black coat; his dress pants and leather shoes were black.

"You're in a good mood, Spades."

"I suppose I am. I just got my nails done," The girl of oriental ethnicity took her gloves off and flashed her hand at him, "We have another job. This client asked for me specifically but I don't want to go- I'll wind up ruining my nails. Would you mind going in my stead? Our employer has asked us to keep the job quiet and inconspicuous, if you can manage."

He gave a large boyish grin. "I was beginning to get terribly bored around here. Where's the place?"

A few moments later, he was walking out of the room back into the tunnel the Asian girl walked in from. In one hand he held a tall embroidered gold lance with a sharp silver tip and three smaller red blades protruding perpendicular to the main blade. In the other hand, he held a short, black top hat. His long strides already had him a ways down the tunnel before he heard her voice echo off of the walls.

"Remember, inconspicuous."

A large, clean mansion stood at the very end of the road he walked down; hundreds of acres of land surrounded the area. The street lamps in the area were flickering ominously, almost predicting the turn of events to come. The floor was made of uneven cobblestones, specifically for the travel of horses- it was covered in filthy slushed snow and was in desperate need of a strong rain storm. The young blond man easily found access to the empty home via a half opened window on the first floor. He gracefully jumped in, looking over his shoulder to search for unwanted eyes. He sauntered through the dark mansion, carefully looking around the lavish ornaments and expensive paintings that decorated the walls; it was too dark to see any color in the corridor. The halls were so elaborate in design and style, every turn made it seem as though he had entered the same route he had previously strolled down, but he didn't mind. There was no rush looking for his prey; slowly wandering the area was all part of the fun of what was to come later- it made his blood boil in anticipation and made the kill that much more exciting. On the third floor of his expedition, he came across his first room with light flooding out of it. A shadow paced nervously, flashing his presence onto the wall. An impish grin broke out onto the young blonde's lips. Leisurely, he pushed open the door to a brightly lit, luxurious room with a large fireplace, numerous bookshelves and the most expensive statues money could buy. On the small circular table closest to him was an expensive bottle of wine with two glasses and a large rectangular box. Peering out the window was a rather old, balding, slightly overweight man, perhaps in his late 50s. With his back still turned he began to stutter.

"I know why you're here…Collins sent you. I-I can pay you double, no triple what his offer was! I can-" He turned to meet the eyes of the young man, "..I-I thought the lady was supposed to be coming…"

"Plans change." The blond shrugged, casually swinging his tall weapon behind him, "I'm here now."

The man was in a brown suit, his tie strewn over one of his many large leather couches. He shook visibly, taking several steps backward. The stalker smirked at his cowardice, slowly advancing towards the space left by his victim. The smooth rectangular box to his right caught his attention. Inside was a large teardrop shaped onyx pendant held by a diamond studded loop that not only held the beautiful stone to the necklace but was decoratively drooped down one side of the gem in a slight 'S' figure. The blue-eyed man held it up to his eye-level, studying it appreciatively.

"Spades would _love_ this," He turned to face his prey once more, "This was supposed to be for her?"

The rich man nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"And you thought she'd _spare_ you if you pleased her?" His soft lips spread into a devilish grin.

The fat man began to sweat a little, uncertainly nodding again. The young man laughed mirthfully, placing the expensive piece of jewelry down. He moseyed his way towards his victim until he was less than a foot away. The blond leaned in, speaking softly.

"I'll let you in on a little something: the lady who was supposed to show up today? She is the least merciful of us. I know how she would do this; she would thank you for your hospitality and that would be the last thing you ever heard. Me? No, I'll let you talk more and form a few more memories before you have to go."

The older man whimpered, quickly side-stepping his uninvited visitor and making a clumsy run for the door; this only made the blonde's blood hotter- he loved it when they ran and struggled. Moving quicker than the balding man could register, the assailant used his left arm to pin the runner to the wall next the exit.

"See? I'll let you scream." He held his lance perpendicular to his prey's chest, "Spades doesn't even allow that. She's always so strict…"

"Please, no! Don't, I beg you! Pleas- ARGHH! AHHHH!"

The petrified pleas were quickly replaced with screams of agony as the sharp lance slowly pieced into the left area of his chest. Desperate, weak hands tried to claw and pull at the invasive point digging into his chest. Bright red blood flooded out of the wound, as the sickening sound of bones cracking reverberated throughout the empty room. Deep blue eyes flashed in excitement, watching intently as he dug his weapon in deeper to reveal more of his favorite color. Anguished screams were reduced to a low moan as the color in the rich man's face was slowly paling, his grip on his enemy's lance weakening. The killer licked his lips unconsciously, thoroughly enjoying the radiating warmth from the dying man's blood. But no, it was too soon- this man had more to give. The blond twisted his lance, listening intently for the satisfying squelch of the contortion of the already mangled heart, ripping another torturous, gurgling scream from the victim's lips. The lancer gave a bone chilling smile, pushing his weapon all the way in through the bloodied body before abruptly pulling out. Bone shards, blood clots and tissue splattered the floor and walls. He studied the specimen attached to the perpendicular blades on his beloved lance- it was still twitching and trying to beat.

"Stubborn little thing, aren't you?" He narrowed his eyes.

He jerked his weapon to the side, removing all human tissue as well as the blood in one swift motion. Pocketing the necklace and grabbing the wine, he took his time strolling around the room for anything else he would have liked before heading for the half opened doors.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

The blond turned to the now corpse on the floor, a mortified expression cemented onto his dead face.

"Spades says we're supposed to pay our respects to those give us things like this, so thank you." He bowed slightly, his wavy hair covering part of his face. Humming a random tune, he strolled down the dark, empty halls, leaving the body propped up at the waist, against the wall in its own pool of blood with a large, gaping, bloodied hole where his heart used to be.


	2. Clovers

**Chapter II**

The fireplace crackled warmly as Spades sat comfortably on one of the plush sofas. She turned the pages of the newspaper, her dark brown eyes carefully scanning each page. Two hours passed since she'd sent Hearts out for a job- she was beginning to wonder if he got lost on the way home. Sighing, she brushed her hair back, unfolding her legs to stretch her stiff muscles. Their home was far from humble- a bright golden chandelier hung from the middle of the dome and several (stolen) decorations were attached to the stone walls. Loud footsteps came from the second corridor on the left in combination of what sounded like metal dragging on the floor. A large, burly black man appeared from the shadows. He was a tad overweight and shaven bald, dressed in a dirty pair of dark forest green, rubber overalls over a black long sleeved shirt. A long piece of burnt metal was dragged behind him, leaving a trail of white markings on the floor. He took his green shaded goggles off, to meet her gaze.

"Spades! You're back! How was Oxford?"

"Busy, as always," She blew some dust off of her nails, "Did you start a fire that can only be put out with metal _again_?"

"Just a little bit…" He mumbled.

"I thought I asked you not to do that." She nonchalantly looked over the scrap he was holding.

"It's for science, love! I can't help it! It's in my blood!" He exclaimed loudly.

"Okay, okay," She sighed, rolling her eyes, "Just don't burn the place down."

He beamed, chuckling quietly, "Thank ya. I'll be needing more subjects soon! Do we have a job that could involve torture or interrogation? Or even an assassination?"

"You're asking for something quite specific…as always. Most clients want the bodies left there but if anything should arise, I'll give it to you."

He beamed at her in thanks, making his way down the main tunnel. A series of complicated pathways, twists and turns lead him to a dumpster where he was sure nobody would be looking too closely. The large man flung the piece of burnt metal into the scrap pile, looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody had seen him before disappearing back into the darkness. He wandered back to their home, finding the short, Asian girl absent. Quickly averting his attention, he scurried back to his room, eager to begin a new experiment. A few short moments later, he was shutting his metal bolted door behind him, grinning as putting his goggles back on. His room was also in the shape of a dome with a large, bright surgical light attached in the middle. A clean steel table was right beneath it surrounded by numerous metal carts of pliers, wrenches and other large tools. His latest invention was almost complete! Digging through his drawer for a tool, he produced a small, delicate screwdriver, using it to twist in the final bolt. The screw was so thin, he could easily break it or the instrument with his two fingers. A nervous sweat bead coasted down his temple, falling onto his foot. After what seemed like an eternity with an abundance of curse words later, he leaned back, staring proudly at his invention, rubbing a few bits of grease off with his large thumb.

"I have something for you." Spades' distant voice traveled into his ears.

His eyes blazed with excitement as he knocked over his chair in the process of running out the door. Eagerly heading towards the well-lit common area, the bald man's gaze met with familiar blue orbs.

"Back so soon?" The playful sarcasm in his voice was evident.

The blond flipped his hair, motioning towards the petite lady sitting in front of him. She was situated on the comfortable sofa. The lancer was standing behind the couch, watching her look at her neck in the small mirror in front of her. She was admiring a large stoned necklace she had around her neck. It looked quite nice because she wore no accessories around her neck but scientist had no interest in jewelry.

"I brought Spades a gift." His soft English accent was clearly pronounced.

The Black man quickly lost interest in the rock, focusing his attention on the woman before him.

"You told me you had something?"

"Mmm. I do." The Asian girl lifted her chin more, staring at her reflection.

"So, what is it?" He demanded impatiently.

She sharply looked up to meet his gaze with a fierce glower, "Don't you dare rush me."

Sighing in defeat, he held his hands up in front of himself defensively, "Alright, alright. Will you tell me, _please_?"

Her fingers traced over the diamonds, a pleased look blooming on her face. She brushed her hair back to get a better view.

"The man who paid us to do the job tonight didn't give us the other half of the money. We need to make an example of him as a reminder of what happens to those who cross us. Find him. Make him a dead man. His name, appearance and address are on that parchment." She motioned next to the mirror she was observing into.

He reached a large gloved hand out to read the small slip. His deep chocolate eyes gliding over the neat hand-writing.

"He's probably gone by now, if he has half a brain. You can track him. Once you find him, you can do whatever you want with him. Just leave whatever is left in public." Spades said apathetically.

A manic smile formed on the bald man's lips, " _Thank you._ "

He disappeared into his room, taking several moments to carefully grab his latest invention before his heavy footsteps carried him out the entrance. It was already late into the night, the streets were dead silent. Only the sound of his footsteps crunching beneath the snow and his breathing could barely be audibly heard through the howling wind. The address of his new test subject wasn't too far away from their home but much to his dismay, by the time he had arrived, nobody was home. He stared at the spacious, empty, unlit home, sighing in annoyance. The house was quite large, probably enough to accommodate seven bedrooms. Its once bright red bricks were worn down from the force of nature to a now rust red color. The dusty white roof was beginning to cave in from the lack of care put into the abode. Shallow footsteps led out from the door and headed down the dark street. The tracks were already being filled in by the snowfall. Studying the markings, he estimated that his prey had run away less than an hour ago, which gave him a good chance of tracking him. Igniting a small lantern, he followed the only lead he had, being careful not to lose sight of it. Several minutes of pushing through the flurry brought him to the entrance of the new steam engine train- but none were running this late at night. Was he taking refuge here? But nobody was around. Carelessly, he trotted down the dim, stoned platform as he looked through his circular green goggles for any signs of life. The station was tall with large arches between the thick pillars holding the roof up. The thing that was moving as the snow gently drifting onto the ground. The tracks were eerily refracting the moonlight off of them, giving a portion of the station a creepy glow. The noise of two steps caused him to turn around to a decently tall man. He was in a well-tailored dark brown suit with a white collared shirt and matching tie, pants and shoes. His thick mustache covered his mouth, his beady eyes staring at the rubber-suited scientist. In his hands, he held a revolver, pointing towards the stalker.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" His voice quivered as he spoke, "One of those killers."

The Black man tilted his head. Did he really thing a gun would do anything for him?

"You're just a _slave_. Whose house did you run from? I ought to take a picture of you and post it on the daily paper." The man spat contemptuously.

The bald man stared at the man called Collins with a dumbfounded expression.

"You've no idea what trouble you have yourself in, do you? You're actually quite lucky Spades sent me. If she came, you wouldn't even know you were dead." An excited smile spread on his dark lips, "I'll make you _wish_ you were dead."

The Englishman's face darkened from the comment, his fingers now trembling. The scientist began a slow approach to his test subject, ideas floating in his mind like balloons flying through the air.

"D-don't come any closer! I'll shoot!" Collins yelled fearfully.

The empty threat didn't bother the Black man, he kept his pace, his eyes locked on the white supremacist. The loud, echoing _**bang**_ followed by the smell of gun powder wafted through the air as the bullet pierced his green rubber overalls.

"H-ha! Did you think I wouldn't shoot? You're so stupid. You should have just let your master take care of you!"

The scientist didn't even seem to hear the comment as he clicked his tongue in irritation, "You ruined my favorite overalls."

Collin's face alighted with dread as his stalker continued towards him in an annoyed manner, completely unphased by the bullet lodged in his chest. Large, dark hands reached up to rip his ruined black long-sleeved shirt off. The gunman's expression changed from dread to horror as he saw under the cloth, the scientist's skin- it was covered in thick, scarred tissue in the shape of long gashes from the constant whipping and torture he had endured before. The iron bullet barely broke his skin to have a small line of blood trail down his chest.

"W-what are you?!" Collins cried, re-positioning his gun futilely.

"Me?" The taller man mused, "I am a product of slavery."

The previous slave produced a small glass vial, the size of a baseball from his pocket, casually tossing it onto the stoned floor. It fell with a clink, shattering onto the floor near the White man's feet, immediately vaporizing to produce a pinkish gas. It quickly engulfed him, wafting away in the wind. Fear penetrated his now paralyzed face, his body in a defensive position, trying to protect himself from the vapor. A large smile broke out on the scientist's face, his green goggles gleaming in the darkness.

"Let us have some good entertainment, shall we?"

Picking the unmoving man up as though lifting a child, he slung the body over his shoulder as he made his to a secluded area with the snow crunching under his feet; terror etched into the victim's large eyes.

* * *

A small clearing in the nearby forest was the perfect area to test his new toy. The ground around them was spared by the snow, the canopy of leaves above them forming a natural protective barrier. Setting the paralyzed man down, the scientist reached into his pocket to produce a spherical piece of metal with four legs and a pointed needled attached to it. Gently setting it down by his feet, the little animatronic device came alive; the sharp end swerving around like a head, as though it was looking for its target.

"Fascinating, ain't it? This little bugger took me ages to make. The compounds inside of it took me even longer. I'm sure I still have some issues to work out…but that's what you're here for."

A manic expression brushed the goggled man grinned at him. The victim's hands were slowly being able to move- the paralytic was wearing off but it didn't matter where Collins would run, if he could. The bot made its way over to the expensive leather shoes worn by its target, the needled head zipping back and forth, seemingly trying to find the best point of entry. An audible gasp was heard as the sharp was stabbed into the sole of his foot.

"That's venom I collected from a curious spider, quite a large one in fact. I've tested it on other animals but humans are always the prime subject."

The Black man produced a medium sized saw from his back belt, dropping it next to the nearly unparalyzed, squirming victim. Collins' wide eyes immediately went for the weapon, before looking up at the scientist suspiciously.

"You might want that."

Almost on cue, agonizing screams erupted from the runner's mouth, his hands clutching his foot.

"What...what did you do to me?! ARRHHH"

"I already told you, didn't I?" The scientist sighed, "I've seen some animals gnaw their leg off in an attempt to ease the pain. I figured you might want to do something similar."

Horror was instilled in the mustached man's beady eyes as he stared ahead at the razor-sharp tool beside him. His screaming continued into the air as Collin's nails ripped at his shoe in a frenzied manner.

"I think we can enter part two now." His mocha lips spread into another grin.

On cue, the small metal machine clinked over to his torso, quickly taking another stab at his right side. The pain-wracked, crazed man barely noticed the nick from the immense pain from the venom in his lower extremity. The Englishman glared up at his torturer in pure hatred and anger, continuing to howl in anguish misery.

"Now, I've just injected flesh eating larvae eggs into you. They normally eat other bugs or animals from the inside but I'm sure they won't mind humans either. I'm not sure how long it takes for them to hatch but we'll find out now, won't we?"

The anger and hatred quickly turned to pure terror as the scientist watched any shred of hope the man was clinging onto slowly fade.

"P-please! I'll give you anything you want! I'll give you all of my money, PLEASE!"

"It's a little too late for that. Ah, Spades told me to make an example of you." He ponderingly rested his fingers on his chin.

Agonizing screams tore through the late night sky as Collins now clutched his ankle and his knee, his unaffected leg flailing in torment. The bald man's light brown eyes trailed over the writhing figure beneath him. The venom was probably moving faster due to his thrashing. His expensive suit was slick with sweat in the cold winter's evening. The whites in his eyes were bright red from the strain he was feeling in his body. The scientist's pearly whites gleamed as a crazed look began to form on his victim's face; his hand was slowly reaching, twitching for the saw left for him. In a swift motion, the tool was in the hands of the torturer, a malevolent look plastered on his face.

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask you. If you answer them, I'll give this to you."

Anxious yelling and low, pained moans were accompanied by a head nod.

"Why didn't you pay Spades the other half of the money?"

"I…I- ARRHH…invested all of my money elsewhere!"

"Where did you invest that money?"

"IN A BANK. AHH, PLEASE!"

"One last question: Did you honestly think we wouldn't find you?"

A large grin spread on his mocha lips before he grabbed the back of the Englishman's collar, dragging him through the snow towards the center of town. Spades asked him to make an example of this man and it's exactly what he intended on doing. Town was only a mile away and treading through the snow took him about fifteen minutes to arrive at his destination. On his way to town, he happened upon an oil rag somebody tossed to the side of the road. Picking it up, he scrunched it up, stuffing into the screaming man's mouth- he didn't want the citizens to see him. He dropped Collins off like an unwanted puppy next to the large, elaborately designed fountain in the middle. The scientist carelessly dropped the saw next to the now crazed man, pulling the dirtied cloth out of his mouth. Placing the lantern next to the Englishman, he then proceeded to climb up a nearby ladder to the top of a building. The Englishman had already begun to dig the saw into his knee joint, sawing away at the leg as he laughed manically. It didn't take long for his hysterical cries to wake up several citizens in the surrounding area. Lights began flickering on, one by one as people grabbed their lanterns to see what the ruckus was about. Women screamed, at the sight, covering the eyes of their children that may have gotten up with them. Men yelled into the night, trying to speak some sense into the deranged man. The torturer lit a cigar, puffing it into the cold night as he watched the spectacle beneath him in amusement. Collins already had half of his leg sawed off, wailing in agonizing pain until someone tried to snatch the sharp tool from him. His beady eyes rolled into the back of his head as his lanky body began to convulse. His long legs went limp as his hands gripped at the handle of the weapon. Some minutes later, his eyes fluttered open as he used his arms to prop himself up.

"I…there is no pain. There is no pain!" He exclaimed loudly, shrieking in laughter.

The citizens backed away slightly from the man's sudden change. It was an odd sight to behold: his left leg, sawed off at his knee joint, his suit in shreds, drenched in his sweat and the manic look that coated his face was all off putting- nobody knew what to do. The scientist stared down at his specimen, clicking his tongue at the interesting turn of events.

"DID YOU SEE THAT, NIGGER? I SURVIVED! AHAHAHAHA."

Collins made a move to get up but immediately fell back down on his rear end. He tried again, and then a third time but his right leg would not move.

"Wh-what…" He stared down in horror at his unmoving lower extremities.

The torturer smiled cruelly, realizing what just happened. The Englishman screamed out loud once more, thrashing his arms and shaking his left leg.

"WHY?!"

The blood from his half severed leg was pooling around him, the artery squirting the precious liquid out; the color from his face was slowly paling. The larvae in his body already hatched and attacked his spinal cord, disabling his lower body. Without being able to feel any pain, he was more than likely to die from blood loss or the venom if the flesh eating insects didn't get to him first. The scientist smiled; this man was about to get the worst of it soon.

"Doctor…GET ME A DOCTOR!" He screamed at the peasants that were circled around him.

His body twitched irregularly as his crazed, beady gaze looked down at his mangled leg. The first bits of pain were beginning to return.

"No, no, no, no, NO!"

Collins slammed the saw down back onto left leg, severing it completely. The ruby colored life blood flowed out of him as he dropped the wood cutting tool.

"I did it…I did it…I did it…I did i- ARRHHH." He howled as the first tidal wave of pain descended upon him.

Black dots about the length of an inch were becoming visible under his skin, crawling underneath as the larvae ate him from the inside out. His wails echoed through the night time sky as the pain of the venom and being eaten alive from the inside out crashed into what was left of his pain receptors. With each heartbeat, his blood pumped out of the severed artery on his left leg. Mocha eyes trailed down the experiment beneath him as he put his almost fully smoked cigar out; how the venom and bug would act together, even he didn't know. The Englishman almost didn't look human anymore. He howled and screamed in agony as he felt the bugs eating away at him. His movements were irregular and twitchy as though separate strings attached to his body were tugging in different directions. The scientist rested his head on his hand perched on his knee; his labor was finally about to bear fruit. Collins clawed at his chest, the venom spreading quicker with less blood to infect. A larva fell out of one of his pumps of blood, squirming in the hot, scarlet liquid. Several peasants yelped in surprise at the rather large bug that flew out of his gaping artery; a handful of brave souls inched forward for a closer look. In the last few seconds before his death, Collins' gaze met his killer's in a moment that seemed like eternity- the look of desperation and mania met cold, calculated and amused eyes. Nodding his head, the scientist turned to return home, satisfied with the results of his experiment. Screams of both horrified people and victim reverberated through the night as the flesh eaters broke through his upper body. By the time the morning sun illuminated the streets, only bones, tattered clothes and large blood stains remained on the earth and everybody knew who did it.


	3. Family

The fire crackled warmly, illuminating the common area with an inviting air. Although their home was far from any entrance of the outside, chilling breezes still slivered their way in, forming goosebumps along the woman's slender shoulders. She quickly brushed the idea of the frigid caress out of her mind, swirling the glass of wine in her hand as her dark brown eyes trailed over the novel she was reading. Dress shoed foot-steps echoed down from one of the four dark corridors, approaching her in an unhurried manner.

"You'll catch a cold." A familiar voice called out.

Hearts emerged from the second hallway to the right, his piercing steel blue eyes looking over the small Asian girl's status. She'd changed since he last saw her- she wore a simple, more comfortable black satin dress that she'd deliberately cut at her mid-thigh. The straps were narrow and delicate, the type that could be easily ripped. The dress sensually dipped down her chest, hugging her breasts and keeping them up; his gaze darkened at the sight before him. She sat on the long couch with her legs crossed and to the side. Her left elbow pushed into the curled inclined elbow-rest, allowing her to lean on it as she kept her book up. Strolling behind her, the Lancer draped her with a warm quilt, meticulously adjusting it to cover her legs as well.

"Always so careless." He whispered into her ear.

"Thank you…" She mumbled as she turned the page.

Another, lighter pair of footsteps reverberated from the first hall on the left. The clicking of a disgusted tongue could audibly be heard as another man appeared, slightly shorter in height than Hearts. He was stockier than the lancer, having more of a muscular build. His facial features were much more mature than the other Englishman's- his nose taller and more defined, his lips were tauter and rosier, and his jaw line was wider. His sharp, clear blue eyes fixed on her as he approached her before glancing over at the blond.

"You spoil her."

Hearts rolled his eyes at the comment, taking a seat next to the female. The mildly irritated man sighed slightly before brushing his chest nut hair back to glare at the now sitting lancer. A brief moment of eye contact was enough as the shorter man half rolled his eyes and made his way for the exit.

"Diamonds, don't leave yet." Her apathetic, clear, cold voice rang throughout the room.

He stopped dead in his tracks, hands still in the pockets of his trousers- it seemed as though time stood still in the small window of when she spoke to him. Authority wasn't something that was present in Spades but she had a quality that made her just so damn _intimidating_ \- it was almost as though a quiet, haunting shadow loomed over her that just reeked of death. The brunet had unpleasant shivers down his spine as he stood completely still, waiting.

"I suspect there may be something for you to do tonight." She finished almost pleasantly.

Spades lithely rose from her position to grab three wine glasses before resuming her previous seat. Placing them on the small stand beside her, she filled two of them with a decent amount.

"I hope you don't mind that I opened the wine." She said, handing Hearts a glass.

"Of course not. It was meant to woo you." He grinned, taking a sip of the dark liquid.

She placed the empty glass upside down on a clean cloth before placing the last glass on the stand beside her, sliding it to the other side, next to the seats further from her, glancing at the frozen brunet. Unwillingly, Diamonds pivoted on the balls of his feet, making his way towards the sofa where she left the glass for him. He was wearing his typical attire of a pale button up shirt with a bright gold sash beneath the collar; his brown vest toned down the dazzling color. His overcoat, dress shoes and trousers were all black as an easy matching set. The Englishman gave a cold hard stare in response to Hearts' cheerful smile at him, taking a rather large sip of the wine. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Diamonds loved it when Spades gave him a job. It was usually always challenging and exciting- something he lacked in his life before he met her. His glacial eyes trailed over her petite figure as she leisurely sipped the delicious drink; she was always an intriguing person. The brunet could never figure out her next move- something he excelled at with everyone else. She was intelligent beyond belief, not because she read a lot but because of her ability to think several steps ahead- not once had he beaten her in a simple game of chess. Diamonds sighed once more, swirling the delicious drink in his glass. Everybody in this group had a screw or two loose in their head, he often told himself. Everybody enjoyed killing, murdering, and torturing, some more than others but the brunet only had one interest in mind. After seeing how everybody dealt with their targets, Spades was the only one he'd come to respect…just a little. Heavy footsteps thudded towards the welcoming gold light from where the three sat. The green tinged goggles gleamed just as maliciously as its owners eyes; a large Cheshire cat grin on Clover's lips was a tell-tale sign about his experiment.

"Did you have to make it so loud?" Spades took another sip of her wine, not bothering to look up at him, "I could hear his annoying screams all the way from here."

Mocha eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness of the room, the smirk never leaving his lips.

"I made him suffer, didn't I?"

"Indeed you did. You killed that Brazilian spider I worked so hard to get you, didn't you?" She swirled the wine once again.

"Lucy? No, she's a tough one." He sat down on the sofa beside Diamonds, giving him a quick acknowledgement of a head nod, "Turns out, he invested money in a bank not too far from here."

Without averting her gaze, the petite Asian passed Clubs an empty glass, motioning towards the iced bottle beside her. The Scientist and Lancer nodded to each other in acknowledgement, gleefully grinning at each other like lovers that haven't seen each other in months.

"You're thinking we can salvage something from this guy?" Diamonds tipped the glass to his lips.

"The idiot said he invested the money in a _bank_. A _**bank**_." Clover's deep voice rumbled in amusement, "I didn't bother asking which one though; I assumed you could figure it out."

"How long has it been since all four of us were in this room together?" Hearts cut in, crossing his legs casually.

"It has been too long!" The Black man agreed downing his wine.

"You want me to get whatever this poor bloke invested." Diamonds interjected flatly.

"If he invested, he must have a lot of money elsewhere. Find it and bring it home." She paused momentarily, "…and don't kill people if you don't have to. It's not nice."

Clovers grinned widely at her last remark, his gaze connecting with the lancer's. Hearts smiled in return, turning to look at the youngest of the bunch. The brunet's eyes flashed in excitement as he quickly downed the rest of his wine, gently setting the glass down before swiftly getting up.

"Don't take too long."

"Yes ma'am." He replied half mockingly, before quickly disappearing down the exit from which the Scientist emerged.

"He's always so impatient." Hearts mused, admiring the deep red of the wine.

"He's just a kid." The Scientist reached for the bottle of wine for the second time, "He's still learning."

Spade's gaze glanced down the corridor that lead to the outside briefly before shutting her book. Brushing her long, dark hair behind her, she got up to return the novel back to where it belonged.

"Have you finished your project?"

"Indeed I have! I used it on my victim. Oh, how his screams serenaded; it was lovely." Clovers regaled, reliving the moment in his mind.

"I figured that was you! Your target's screams _were_ a little different tonight, I noticed." Hearts complimented.

The only female made her way down the corridor furthest to the right, her small bare feet pattering against the stone floors. The two much larger men watched her curiously as she was swallowed by the darkness. The mammoth, burly black man leaned back, crossing his legs in a comfortable manner; his large oiled fingers left black streaks along the once clean, delicate glass he held so gently.

"She's a bit moody today, ain't she?" The scientist remarked.

"It's quite late. You know she doesn't sleep until all of us are home. Your job took quite a while and how the kid is gone. I suspect she'll be a little sensitive at least until the end of tomorrow." His grey-blue eyes studied tunnel Spades went down, "She's the one who's always worrying about us."

"Heh," Clovers took another swig of the alcohol, "She should worry about herself more."

"It's why we take care of her." The blond mumbled quietly.


	4. Diamonds

Long, confident, strong strides carried Diamonds towards his destination. He silently crept through empty alley ways and shadows, avoiding major streets and intersections. The sun was barely beginning to peak out from the horizon which didn't allow him much time to fulfill his task: rob the largest bank in town. His straight brown hair swung over his forehead as he quickly made his way down one of the quiet streets. His thick eyebrows furrowed together as he meticulously formulated an entrance and exit strategy. He'd heard the name Collins floating around town several times and found out that this (now deceased) individual was among the wealthier populous in this region which meant his goods were most likely housed in one of the more secure vaults in the bank. In order to gain access to the bank, he would need to avoid security in the front (or kill them), find which vault was his, be able to pick the lock and carry out whatever it is this person had stored; worst case scenario, he would just take a lot of cash from the bank to make up for their losses.

The only bank in this area was on one of the busiest streets in the town- security wasn't that tight, in fact he was sure the guard on duty was probably passed out drunk or with a lady but it was the vault itself that was the issue. Diamonds assessed the situation from afar, squinting his ice blue eyes at his target building. The large bank was made with a dark wood that was now peeling from years of championing the seasons. It stood tall and proud, boasting the most secure bank of the area. The brunet silently made his way across the street, behind his wooden target.

Just as he predicted, one of the windows were unlocked with the guard sleeping on the chair with both of his legs perched up on his messy desk- he reeked of alcohol and perfume in conjunction with the wet wooden floor smell. Diamond shot him and his work space a disdained look before approaching the slob to silently search him for a key of some sort. Holding his breath, he reached into the man's pockets but found nothing. He narrowed his eyes at the situation before hurrying down the corridor that would take him towards his second challenge. The large wooden door was all but elaborate. It resembled more of a block of wood than a secure vault but Diamonds could understand what was going on. The architects were quite clever to make the vault out of wood- if you burned it, the goods inside would be torched so there would be no point in trying fire. The door was extremely thick, it would take hours before any hand tool could get through it and with the amount of noise you'd make, the security guard would surely wake up. The man smirked at the challenge, reaching into his pockets for his choice of weapons- several elaborately designed daggers, each slightly different in length and width of blade, color and style. The thief wedged the tip of the blade into the large key hole, feeling around for the mechanism that kept it closed. Much to his dismay, it was more complicated than he had anticipated; he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Time for plan D then…"

Producing one of his bigger and sharper combat daggers, he jammed it in between the door and the wall, forcibly smashing it downwards and into the hinge, making a very loud wooden _**SNAP**_. Diamonds then froze, waiting to for any unwelcome sounds. The guard in the front mumbled a little bit but continued snoring, blissfully unaware of the situation. Releasing the trapped breath from his lungs, the thief readjusted his blade to chip away at second and last hinge as he had already almost awakened the guard but to no avail, the wooden mechanism would not budge without a good smack.

The brunet huffed a little in frustration, his annoyed gaze scouring the room. He impatiently stepped through another back door on the side to find exactly what he was looking for. Working quickly, Diamonds shed his expensive, high end tailored suit to dress in the plain, tattered brown janitor's outfit. Gently tousling his hair for a messier look, he ran his fingers over a dirty oil cloth to dirty his face and hands. He then skillfully tucked his daggers under his shirt, keeping the largest one in his left hand. The brunet then grabbed an empty burlap sack off of the floor, stuffing his clothes into it before heading out towards the vault once more. Jamming the blade into the final hinge, he kicked the end with his foot, completely snapping the wooden mechanism off. He then quickly turned on his heels, making his way to the back room once more. Hurried and clumsy footsteps made their way to the broken door yelling profanities and curses at the turn of events. The guard then made his way out to find a police man, no doubt afraid of who he would encounter. Lithely making his way back down the hall, Diamonds smoothly opened the vault to find the giant wooden vault nearly empty. His eyebrows furrowed together as he stared at the three items on the floor. There was a jade vase from the Asian continent, a small bag of money and a vanilla folder filled with documents. Not bothering to think on the matter, he stuffed the three things into his make-shift bag before placing the items into the sac. With the camouflaged burlap then confidently strode out the front door, moving out of the way of the policemen rushing in. He lowered his head to avoid anyone getting a good look at him before moseying his way home.

To most, it only appear that a janitor was taking the trash out with no one the wiser. Looking over his shoulder for any unwanted eyes, Diamonds swiftly disappeared into a large sewage drain on the outskirts of town, silently making his way home. He had to be careful of the vase he carried in the sac, breaking it would mean an earful from Spades- not something he was too keen on receiving if he could avoid it. The job was much easier than he'd expected it to be, it went smoothly with a good get away. He instinctively looked back for anyone who could be tailing him but who would be good enough to tail him without him realizing, right?


	5. Spades

Spades smoothly rolled up her stockings over her porcelain legs before slipping on her usual black high heels. She smoothed out her long dress, adjusting the onyx pendant on her slender neck before she glanced at the large clock on the wall to her left. Her room was domed like all the others' only hers was the largest of them all with a plush, black circular bed that rested on the far side of her door that was accompanied by a deep purple satin bed sheet- it was surrounded by a soft, white mink carpet, giving it subtle textural variety. Several documents and manila folders were neatly stacked on a black desk stood off to the side. Her black wooden dresser was on the opposite side of her desk with a large mirror that reflected her room in its entirety- her room was a stark black and white with splotches of deep purple strewn in some areas. Staring blankly at the time for several seconds, she turned on her heels, footsteps clacking against the cobbled floors as she reappeared from her hall to the lush common room. The short Asian was met with a deep steel blue gaze- Hearts was comfortably seated on one of the sofas with his legs crossed and a book perched between his fingers in an elegant fashion. Only his eyes moved, indiscreetly following the seemingly innocuous lady as she walked past him. It was very early in the morning and Clover's loud snoring was clearly audible from his corridor, no doubt proof of another one of his crazed, sleepless nights.

"Do you need help with anything?" He spoke softly in his English accent.

His eyes darted to her attire which was far from complete- she was missing her small hat and veil as well as her usual handbag and her characteristic lacy black parasol.

"No," Her quiet voice could barely be heard, "Just going to see off a guest."

"Ah. Don't be home too late then." The blond said almost teasingly.

Brushing his comment off, Spades leisurely made her way down the dark exit, tugging at the strange device attached to her right forearm. It was cylindrical in shape, resembling a large fishing pole spool with a thin silver thread spun around it. She played with the small metal hook attached to the very end of her thread, running her thumb over the several grooves that decorated it from the years of usage. She sighed inwardly; glancing down at her newly prim nails- she hoped she wouldn't ruin them. Several minutes of walking in the dark silence brought her to the familiar sound of a certain thief. From the distance, she could make out Diamonds, leisurely strolling down in his usual slightly arrogant stride. His hair was tousled and several black greasy smudges colored his smooth face. His usual tidy work attire was missing and he was dressed in a dirty janitor's uniform, leaving only his shiny pair of shoes on as a faulty decision- something she would have to scold him about later. Working silently, she disappeared off to the side, the shadows seemingly absorbing her small frame, welcoming her into its cold embrace. Her plan was meticulous and invisible, moving slowly but surely into place to trap its prey that she could see coming from a mile away. Her threads slithered along the walls, through the nooks and crannies of the cobbled tunnel. Taking a small step back and raising her left arm to brace herself, she threw the last piece of her thread to hook it onto the middle of her intricate design. The brunet didn't notice the slight whizzing as he continued down the damp road, whistling to himself pleasantly. The petite girl narrowed her eyes once more at the newest suit- another thing she could have to chide him on; he should have noticed. Easily moving from within the darkness, Spades slipped past her family member as though it was second nature to her, patiently waiting for her prey to walk into her trap, much like a spider waiting for its next meal.

He was quiet and nearly undetectable in his quiet footsteps, smoothly traveling a ways behind the oblivious brunet. The stalker was good but not good enough for her- a second before he made contact with her trap, she gently tugged her thread, releasing it from the tension it so desperately sought to quench. The speed at which the wires moved made sharp, quick whistling noises, winding around his neck wrists, ankles and torsos in a tight bind with nearly nonexistent surface area. The initial snap of the trap was already beginning to draw blood from his bare skin. Not one second later, Diamonds quickly whirled around with a dagger in hand, quickly resuming a defensive stance at whatever attack may have been launched at him. His eyes only widened at the sight behind him- the dark figure was cloaked completely in skin-tight black clothes complete with a mask that covered his entire face. He struggled against his near invisible restraints, allowing them to cut further into his skin. The brunet's glacial gaze calmly assessed the situation, loosening his grip on his weapon. Spades reemerged casually beside her fellow suit, the line whirring as it extended while she walked. Diamonds sighed deeply, staring down at the ground; he knew he wasn't going to get out of this unscathed. He rubbed the back of his head with his right hand, awkwardly standing behind the frightening, petite Asian lady.

"Leave." She said icily, her voice eerily echoing off of the walls, "I'll deal with you when I get home."

Another sigh escaped his taut lips as he turned on his heels, almost hanging his head as he disappeared down the dark tunnel. He fought back the urge to defend himself against the situation or lie or somehow let her know that he _knew_ what was going on but in the end, that would only make the situation worse for him- excuses were not something Spades was fond of. He made quick work of his exit, fading into the tunnel to hurry back home in an attempt not to upset her even further. Muffled grunts continued to resonate in the limited area between her and the stalker as he struggled against her threads. Laxly turning back to face the masked man, she curiously tilted her head off to one side, her large, brown, near lifeless orbs scanning him at her own pace. Her stare sent chills down his spine, abruptly making him halt his wiggling. The clacking of her heels were the only things that made noise as she stepped closer to him, her cold finger tips brushing his carotid pulse. The man had wavy black hair and deep brown eyes that had a fierce glower etched onto them. Spades traced her fingers up his neck and over his well-defined chin, to tap at the deep scar on his left cheek marred his handsome face hiding beneath his five o' clock shadow. The discolored bags under his eyes indicated his line of several sleepless nights and he smelled slightly of a very peculiar cigarette smoke. A lighter portion of skin on his left ring finger implied he wore a wedding band not long ago. She didn't bother to speculate as to why he took it off.

"Patience is not a virtue I was born with so I'm only going to ask you once." Her voice was as empty as they were true.

Her gaze trailed over his well-formed torso, interestedly watching her choice of weapon dig through his shirt, tearing into it.

"Who employed you?" Her eyes snapped up to meet his fluidly.

The ferocity in his eyes quickly became muted as the reality of the situation sunk into his mind. He bit his full lip, obviously trying to strengthen his resolve. Spades sighed with an exasperated expression that didn't give much away while she put her hands on her hips in an annoyed gesture. The dank, cobbled tunnel only accentuated the shadows on her face, giving her a deeper, darker expression, one that would alarm most to run the other way. She could feel his heartrate picking up from the sheer friction of the air between the two bodies like electricity sparking; it _almost_ excited her.

"You aren't leaving here alive of course." She added flatly, "You know too much."

The fear in his eyes grew steadily as his eyes flickered back and forth wildly in a tactless attempt at an escape. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she tugged her index finger back to pull one of her numerous wires together. A sickening squelching _**SNAP**_ vibrated through the air as the stalker's pinky was instantly lopped off, tuby liquid dripped off of the fresh wound as he stared in wide eyed disbelief at his decapitated finger before a low pitched scream rang through the tunnels. He mumbled what she assumed to be curses in a foreign language under his breath as he tried to steady his breathing through the ripping pain in his hand. From his behavior, it seemed as though he was already trained to withstand this type of interrogation; though his face was grimaced, he didn't display the type of knee-jerk reaction that most others would. The red dripped down his wound and onto his shoes which were directly located above his hand, coloring them with beautiful red splatters.

Spades clicked her tongue in irritation, "If only Diamonds had noticed you sooner, I wouldn't have had to intervene like this…he needs a stern talking to." She paused to turn to look at him with eyes that almost seemed to care, "Please cooperate with me; I'm not very good at torture."

She blinked un-empathetically at the man before peering around him, her threads tightening from his sudden thrashing about.

"I suppose that's due to my impatience…" She thought out loud from a slight epiphany.

The man's eyes hardened in hatred and regret as he spit a bit of blood out, most likely from biting the inside of his mouth from her sudden assault. He scowled at her indignantly, seemingly flipping her off with the way he stared at her.

"Someone set Collins up to be killed by us so that you could find and or kill us," Her deep eyes glazed over frigidly, "Almost murdering one of my own was a bad idea. I won't take all kindly too that."

When she didn't hear him inhaling to respond, Spades didn't hesitate to tug another one of her threads, slicing straight through his foot, severing the front portion of his pedal attachment from its back. It ripped another agonizing howl from the stalker's throat as the anterior bit of his shoe as well as his flesh fell to the stoned floor with an audible thud. His cries lasted longer this time and his body jerked violently, allowing his restraints to bite into his body more than before. Ruby life blood flowed down like a river from his lower extremity, gravity pulling it down faster due to the position he was in. She studied the pool of blood that was beginning to collect under him, her eyebrows furrowing together ever-so-slightly.

Was she going too fast? It didn't seem like her captive was going to talk anytime soon; perhaps she should just stick with fingers for now…?

She pressed her lips together and crossed her arms beneath her modest chest in contemplation. His heavy panting brought her back to reality, sweat beginning to bead down the back of his neck and forehead from the sudden stress. His eyes were tightly closed, trying to find a way to forget the screaming sensation of his missing body parts; he huffed violently, choking on his uneven, ragged breaths. His face was turning an extremely flushed shade of his blood, the vessels in his eyes bursting from the strain of blood-loss. His diaphragm heaved tiringly in an attempt to combat himself from going into shock. She leaned over him, observing his frenzied facial expressions with ease; Spades was as calm and collected as she ever was, coolly assessing the situation and possible outcomes. She felt nothing for this man that she would soon murder; no happiness, anxiety, sadness. The cold, endless abyss within her mind was only sparked by some rare individuals that warranted her attention- those she _chose_ to protect and nurture. Others who threaten those under her parasol would pay dearly and this was an issue that needed to be pulled out by the root- someone other than this man needed to die.

"Don't make me ask again." Her voice rang quietly.

He didn't seem to notice her voice this time, his gaze spacing off into the distance where his initial prey disappeared down; his head hung limply, only his eyes moving ever so slightly. His silence was quickly met with another of his digits being slice off- slowly this time, ripping through the muscle fibers and tugging at the bone in the center, mercilessly snapping it in two. It tore another scream from the stalker as his body lurched forward a third time, raising the tension in the threads holding him up. His eyes bulged slightly, the veins in his neck swelling under his skin that was now sleek with sweat. The man wretched; whether he was nauseous firm the stress or loss of blood wasn't of concern to her. She eyed the threads that held him in place as they were dyed a deep, beautiful hue of read- he was pushing more pain upon himself.

"If you don't stop squirming, you'll be without hands and feet…" She murmured, "Either way, you _will_ tell me what I want to know."

Her dark brown eyes flashed as she strolled over towards his intact right hand, briefly scanning it. The stalker didn't notice as his eyes were tightly shut once more, transporting his mind to a safer, happier moment in his life, one that didn't involve pain or anguish. Spades hummed softly; she couldn't have her captive escaping into his own mind. His moment of peace didn't last long as his remaining index and middle fingers were also gone in a flash, falling to the ground together in a bloody mess. His voice bellowed, echoing throughout the tunnel another time as he fought against her threads in a much more crazed manner than before, the sensations overwhelming his self-preservation instincts. This yell was much more blood chilling than the previous ones, one more suited for a desperate animal rather than a coherent man as the dam he so feverishly held back burst into an explosion of fear, anger and pain.

" _ **PLEASE, STOP**_." He wailed, breaking down into sobs in a thick accent that she did not recognize.

"Tell me what I need to know."

* * *

The little lady strolled back into their less than modest abode, tidying her dark hair into a loose braid. The blond was exactly where she left him last, situated on the plush sofa with the same book in hand. Once he saw her arriving, he stood gracefully, his tall legs carrying him over to her in just a few short steps. His sudden approach stopped Spades in her tracks, her gaze shifting upwards to meet his. His deep blue gaze stared down at her, analyzing her sleep-deprived, nearly empty eyes before reaching his left hand up to her cheek.

"A lady mustn't dirty her gorgeous face like that," He cooed, pulling his long fingers back to expose the red flecks he had cleaned off, "even if it is with such a beautiful color."

His golden curls fell over his one of his eyes mischievously as he brought his digits to his lips to lick off the crimson liquid; the taste of the metallic substance made him close his beautiful eyes in heavenly bliss. Heavy footsteps from the second to the left hall echoed off the walls accompanied by a loud yawn. The grumbling that followed was incohesive and bumbling in its string of incomprehensible words. Clovers materialized from his respective quarters in all his dirty, greasy, funky smelling glory. He rubbed his eye with his oversized hands, ungracefully making his way towards the pair that sat in the common room.

"Who the _hell_ is making so much noise so _early_ in the morning?" He rumbled, still half asleep.

The large, bear of a man leaned against the arched cobble stoned entrance to his corridor, unable to keep himself upright without tipping over. He obviously hadn't bothered cleaning himself up after his usual night-time experiment fiasco. His unshaven face was covered in gunpowder and what she assumed to be ground cumin, from the smell. The Scientist's overall was half unbuttoned and his treasured green goggles were nowhere to be seen. The imprint of a wrench was pushed into his left cheek where he had fallen asleep on his desk. She sighed at his appearance, given up on converting him to the cleanly side. The petite lady merely learned to accept him for who he was, acknowledging the fact that she needed more time than was allotted to her in a normal human life to change his habits.

"There is a man down the tunnel exit if you want a new specimen to work with. He might be alive if you hurry." Her voice was clipped and quiet, a trait she usually doned.

His mocha brown eyes snapped up in sudden alertness before he wordlessly made a bee-line towards the exit tunnel with surprising grace; the gears in his brain turning furiously at the ideas running through his genius mind. He glanced at his blond friend with an impish grin on the way out, passing along a cue the two had shared for years. Hearts smirked in response, kissing his index finger and pressing it to the center Asian girl's pouty lips in one fluid movement before bolting out after his friend like a gazelle. Spades glanced tiredly in their direction, unable to understand their desire for experimentation and torture, respectfully. Without giving it a second though, she turned her back,spinning on the ball of her foot in a smooth motion to head into her room. The scolding for Diamonds would have to come later, her beauty sleep and more importantly, the acuity of her mind was far more essential. A brisk several steps later, her heels, dress, corset, bra and stockings were strewn across the floor in a flash before she crawled into her heavenly bed, allowing her body to melt into the comfort of her own quiet, dark mind.


End file.
